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Hundreds of students and families join together for Jan. 20 Day of Service

Hundreds of students and families join together for Jan. 20 Day of Service

Colonial School District students of all ages joined together on Martin Luther King Jr. Day to give back to their community as part of the District’s fourth annual Day of Service.

During the event held at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School, students in grades K-5 volunteered their time to benefit a variety of different organizations. Plymouth Whitemarsh High School students led the activities and assisted their younger peers with the projects during two different sessions. During each session, Black Cultural Awareness club members gave a short, interactive presentation to remind everyone of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The American civil rights activist, who reminded everyone that “life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” has been the inspiration for numerous Days of Service around Philadelphia and its suburbs. Colonial School District is proud to join the tradition of honoring Dr. King’s contributions to the country through service.

This year’s event was supported by grants from the Colonial School District Education Foundation and Youth Service America/C.S. Mott Foundation, financial donations from employees and families, as well as material donations from Kurtz Brothers.

Here is a look at the service stations that were part of the day:

  • Sock rolls for The Giving Tree: Students made 300 sock rolls, which consist of non-perishable snacks wrapped in warm socks to be donated to the homeless through the Giving Tree organization.
  • Pet toys for the SPCA and Spay and Save: Students used recycled t-shirts to make toys for pets in shelters.
  • Letters for Rose/Senior Services of Montgomery County: Students made greeting cards to be provided to senior citizens.
  • Kindness Rocks: Students will painted rocks with positive messages that will be distributed throughout the community.
  • I Have a Dream: Students listened to a story about Dr. King and then wrote a short sentence on a paper cut-out about how Dr. King inspires them or about a service project they will do in the future.
  • Raise Funds for the U.N. World Food Programme: Students played computer games on freerice.com to raise money for the UN World Food Programme.
  • Clothing collection for Cradles to Crayons: Students sorted donated clothing items into different piles and discarded unusable items.
  • Used sports equipment collection for Leveling the Playing Field: Students helped sort donated equipment.
  • Origami paper hearts for cancer patients: Students folded origami paper hearts to be sent to cancer patients.
  • Trivia/Quizzo for good: Students donated a non-perishable food item or hygiene product to play a trivia game and win prizes. Donated items were provided to the Colonial Neighborhood Council.
  • Butterfly project: Students wrote positive notes on butterfly cutouts to be sent to Escuela Felix Hernandez, a school in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.
  • Fortune Teller: Students will create paper fortune tellers as a way to encourage them to think about service projects they can do to benefit the community in the future.

The ideas for the projects originated from high school students who are involved in clubs such as the Black Cultural Awareness Club, the International Baccalaureate Programme Club, AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination), and National Honor Society. Over the past several months, a committee made up of administrators, teachers, and students met to plan the Day of Service and acquire materials. Families of students in grades K-5 were then invited to sign up as volunteers, and slots filled up immediately.

“Since the beginning, our families have embraced the Day of Service and it is always wonderful to see everyone come together and volunteer on a day where we honor Dr. King,” said Jessica Lester, Community Relations Coordinator and an organizer for the event. “It takes a lot of people to support this event, and we are grateful for the contributions of our Education Foundation, Youth Service America/C.S. Mott Foundation, Kurtz Brothers, and many others who have donated a few dollars here or there to our efforts. We hope that this day inspires students to serve not just on MLK Day, but throughout the year in order to make a positive difference in our community.”

 

A student gives the thumbs up at her service station
A student assists a child in making a paper fortune teller
Students pose for a picture at the snack bar
A student helps a child with a computer game
A child tosses a can of tennis balls into a box
Students pose for a picture at the Free Rice station
A student sorts donated sports equipment into boxes
A student helps a child make a pet toy
Students pose with bags of donated clothing
A student shows off a painted Kindness Rock
Students work together at the I Have a Dream station
Students smile for a photo at the butterfly project station
A cutout shows a student's dream for people to have shelter and food.
A student makes an origami heart
A student puts a ribbon around a sock roll
A father and daughter show off a decorated butterfly cutout
A parent works on a coloring sheet of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
A student helps make an MLK banner
Students show off papercut outs that they worked on
A student decorates a butterfly cutout
Students speak about the meaning of MLK Day
Students show off their Kindness Rocks